Year of the Snake – Canada

In the Asian countries the Snake is viewed as the wisest and most enigmatic of all the zodiac creatures. In fact, it’s such a strong sign of intelligence and luck that an ancient Chinese saying notes that finding a snake in one’s home is great fortune and ensures that the inhabitants will never go hungry.

The Year of the Snake, in this case a water snake, slithers in on February 10, 2013, and bids farewell on January 30, 2014.

The sixth of 12 creatures in the zodiac, the Snake represents intelligence, materialism and gracefulness. Those born in the Year of the Snake are analytical and tend to look closely before they leap.

They love luxury and know how to get what they want. Even if it means scheming and plotting, clever and cunning snakes know that the end justifies whatever means necessary.

Still, the Snake requires peace; noise and stress are not well tolerated. The hard-working and ambitious Snake is successful in professional life, but tends to hop jobs, becoming easily bored if not sufficiently challenged or rewarded.

The duo stamp issue (Permanent™ domestic and International) for the Year of the Snake, the fifth in this series, is created in lavish textures befitting the luxury-loving Snake.

On the domestic stamp, a red snake slithers on curving waves, symbolizing the water influence on this particular Year of the Snake.

On the international stamp, a yellow and green jade snake, artfully embossed on multiple levels to provide three-dimensionality and simulate scales, coils into a stylized 8, the luckiest and most valued number by the Chinese people. Both images visually draw on the most significant character attributes of the Year of the Snake.
People born in the Year of the Snake are reputed to be thoughtful and wise and to approach problems rationally and logically, seldom instinctively.

Such people are complex beings, they are clever and men of few words from their birth. Their business is always going well, but they are stingy very often.

They are sometimes egoistic and conceited. However they can be very active in their friends’ life. They are often too active, not believing other people and relying only on themselves.Title: Year of the Snake – CanadaDate of Issue: 8 January 2013Country: CanadaDenominations: permanent, $1.85